Closure for bottles and other containers.



I. c. SPELLING.

CLOSURE FOB BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS.

APPLICATION m'zo |M|.3'o. I9l7.

Pamlllted 10%. H, 191?.

THOMAS C. SPELLING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 30, 1917. Serial No. 145,403.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that THOMAS CARL SPELLING, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at the city of New York, inthe county of New York and. State of New York, has invented certain new and useful Improvements in Closures for Bottles and other Containers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to closures for bottles and similar containers of liquids and other substances, and especially such other substances as flow, or which in merchantable form, are granulated or powdered Its purpose is. the simplification of the sealing characteristics of closures and the provision of locking adjuncts thereto, which can be economically emplaced with, and removed without, machinery, and used again, all of which is shown by the description which follows:

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the device, with gasket and cap in assembled position. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the assembled device, showing the gasket, cap, collet and super-cap in assembled position. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred form of one of the members employed to grip and bind the cap to the bottle neck, and to a gasket or any stopper which may be, or which it is desirable to have pressed within and below the mouth, and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of another form not having the interlocking feature, conspicuous in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the cap, super-cap, collet and gasket, in disconnected relation.

The form of grip shown in Fig. 4 is the simplest that can be used and is eifective and ample when the shoulder on the bottle neck has an approximately horizontal undercut- The form shown in Fig. 3 is best adapted, however, for use in combination with shoulders having the rounded outline and slanting undercut shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings more in detail, like reference characters designating the same parts in the different views, the cap member, which may consist of tin or similar material, has the flange A, with triangular portions cut away to prevent crimping in forming it, the crimped rim, B, resulting in the mechanical act of forming the cap, and hereinafter designated as the rim, the flat bottomed interiorbasin 0, through the bottom. of which are the perforations D. The

mechanical act of so forming the parts just referred to produces irregular crosssectional space between the flange and perlphery of the depressed basin, which will be partially occupied, when the cap is in place, by the upper rim of the neck of the bottle. The side of the cap formation adjacent to said rim and designated by reference character E, in the drawing, will slant downwardly and at an angle inwardly to a junction with the bottom of the basin. This formation allows an exterior segment of the gasket to be impinged and impacted on or against the rim of the neck, and between the inner side of that rim and the adjacent inwardly and downwardly slanting periphery of the cap. The feet on the grip members designed to lock the cap seated on the gasket in the mouth of the bottle may be of either of two forms, the form depending on whether the under side of the shoulder, (enlarged protuberance) H, on and around the neck be rounded or horizontally undercut. Ifthe former, as is often the case, these members should be formed as in Fig. 3 to reciprocally interlock, asindicated in Fig. 1, at K. In the other form of bottle construction the feet formation shown in Fig. 4 would fully answer the purpose. The two interlocking feet are designated by L in Fig. 3 and the other form of feet by I in Fig. 4:. From the unbent form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 are shaped the arms F, the leg G, of irregular outline, the inturned feet L in form shown in Fig. 3 and I in Fig. 4. It is to be understood that the shape of the arms F, after preliminary bending by the manufacturer, and prior to emplacement, is not the same as shown with the grip in place. Before emplacement, its extremities are less widely separated. After being placed in the mouth of the bottle, the exterior or periphery of the basin, represented by E, compresses the rim of the gasket against the inner surface of the mouth and the cap and parts to which it adheres are then firmly held in place by.

the grips. The flange A is designed to overlap the rim of the bottle neck and coact with the grips in holding the cap and its adjuncts in place.

Though desirable that the position on the neck of each gripping member shown in Fig. 4 shall be directly opposite another on the cap, an exactly opposite relation is not an essential condition to effectiveness. But where theshoulder on the bottle neck is Patented Dec. if, f91l sults is possible.

rounded underneath, the interlocking form shown in Fig. 3 is preferable,-and the grip members automatically occupy diametrically opposite positions. One foot. on each of these grips contains the shouldered extension J, and ,the other contains a similar extension conversely, as shown at K, and they are conversely slanted in order that they may automatically interlock. Although the means for. fastening and locking the cap on the gasket here comprises three pieces of metal, including the cap, it will be noted that two of them are identical in form, and are tempered throughout uniformly, whereas, in other devices, wherein a less number is made to suffice, either the lock portion or the cap must be resilient and the other nonresilient, or vice versa. To temper the separatepartsofthe same piece differently is an expensive process.

Whether the general foot and leg form shown in Fig. 3 be best adapted to the shouldering on the bottle neck, or that shown in Fig. 4 beadaptable, there will be a slitting ofthe metallic pattern from which thegrip is formed at (),'to form the vertical extensions P-,.the functions of which are the provision for close engagement of the upper portions-of the feet with the lower portion oftheshoulder .on the neck and with the surface of the neck immediately below the shoulder.

'I have so far described a closure and means for looking it which is effective for sealing and locking. But closures formed dfiOOHlbll'ltLblOllS of cap, collet and gasket are now much in use. Some of them are defective in various respects. Proper application of the adhesive is, in some cases, tedious, with unsatisfactory results. In other cases, the impact uponemplacement in the mouth of the bottle is imperfect, resulting in only a partial closure, or leaving interior metal surfaces naked, or leavingparts of the collet or. gasket to which a contaminating adhesive has been applied exposed to contact withthe liquid contents of the bottle.

In my device, these parts being assembled and the adhesive being applied before emplacement in the mouth, none of these re- The adhesive in heated liquidcondition is applied through the correlated perforations and yet reaches enough o f the upper surface of the gasket to hold it in uniform :alinement, at any rate, during theact-of pressing the parts to place. The adhesive will be-subjected to a drying process and become dry and firm, and cap, collet and gasket ,-will becomeiunited. Small interstices,.if needed, between under surfaces of the cap and collet, may be variously produced.

The gasket may be .of cork, which may be softened and rendered elastic by chemical treatment, or it may be of india rubber or any other suitable material; and it may be the grips and produce a closure which is immovable as against interior pressure resulting from effervescen'cc or other cause. By commercial custom, however, it is necessary that the topsurface of sealing means be level and smooth, not only for appearance, but that such level and smooth top may be utilized for advertising. Hence the provision of the gasket, collet and super-cap, all exhibited in Fig. 5. And all these parts united, the underlying gasket, the cap, the collet laid therein, and the super-cap overlying all and all made to adhere, as here described and, finally, the lock member together constitute my improved closure. Thebasin of the cap may have the said perforations D, and

a collet, made of fiber, cardboard, or other suitable material with correlated perforations D may occupy it, and hot diluted bloodalbumen, or any other suitable-adhesive in liquid form, may be introduced through the perforations to cause adherence of a gasket or stopper to the cap, and adhe sion of the interposed collet to the cap, and the same adhesive may simultaneously overflow on top of the collet and be used to secure the super-cap having a trade-mark or trade-name printed or stamped thereon, as shown at Q, the same to overlap the collet and cap. Sealing wax or any light packing may be placed around and over the armpoints, completing an even plane. A fibrous collet is provided because without it the adherence here provided to a metallic surface would be impracticable. The super-cap will be made of parchment or paper.

The emplacement and functions of the grip members are matters so obvious as to scarcely require explanation. Either the acute turn, forming a shoulder at M, may-be first placed inside the rim of the cap andthe inturned feet then snapped under the ledge for shoulder on the bottle neck, and the locks, thus slid, and sprung into place, or the adustment may be reversedand the feet first cmplaced and the upper portion containing said shoulder M, then, by lateral pressure, made to slide across -the surface of the exteriorbelt N of the cap, until it snaps inside therim. The fact that the inturned feet of thegrip shown in Fig.3 are alternately and conversely shouldered has been already referred'to. It will be noted also that they are interchangeable inposition, without alteration'of the locking effect, as seen at K.

Where this invention shall be utilized, there can be .no contamination or corrosion resulting from contact of contents with metallic substances, unless caused by defective materials in the formation of gaskets and stoppers, hor can any caps come as or closures fail to successfully resist forces genboth forms the feet are slitted from the legs as-shown' at O, in ordertha-t the feet may the more closely hug the Vertical surface under the shoulder of the bottle neck, and intimately engage the base of the shoulder, thus securing a more reliable and constantly binding result.

That there may be Various forms of construction may be assumed to be well understood. The simplicity and uniformity of construction will be found to be an impor tant mechanical aid, conducive to economy.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim as follows:

1. A closure for a bottle comprising a gasket in the mouth thereof, a cap centrally depressed to form a rounded downward projection adapted to press the gasket into the mouth of the bottle, said cap having an exterior belt adapted to overlap the rim of the neck of the bottle, said cap also adapted, when centrally seated on the gasket, to impact its outer edges against the interior sides of the neck, a collet in the basin formed in forming the depression, and a super-cap overlying the collet; all these parts in adherence through the medium of an adhesive, introduced through correlated perforations in the cap and collet, and means for locking the adhering gasket, cap, collet and supercap in place.

2. A closure for a bottle comprising a gasket in the mouth thereof, a cap centrally depressed to form a rounded downward projection adapted to press the gasket'into the mouth of the bottle, said cap having an exterior belt adapted to overlap the rim of the neck of the bottle, said cap also adapted, when centrally seated on the gasket, to impact its outer edges against the interior sides of the neck, a collet in the basin formed in forming the depression, and a super-cap overlying the collet, said super-cap having printed or stamped thereon a trade-mark or tradename, or other advertising; all these parts in adherence through the medium of an adhesive, introduced through correlated perforations in the cap and collet, and means for locking the adhering gasket, cap, collet and super-cap in place.

3. A closure for a bottle comprising a gasket in the mouth thereof, a cap centrally depressed to form a rounded downward projection adapted to press the gasket into the mouth of the bottle, said cap having an exterior belt adapted to overlap the rim of the F .lhe unyielding and unshiftable engageneck of the bottle, said cap also adaptedjwhen centrally seated on the gasket, to impact its outer edges against the interiorsides of the neck, a collet in the basin formed in forming the depression, and a super-cap overlying the collet; all these parts in adherence through the medium of an adhesive, introduced through correlated perforations in the cap and collet, and means for locking the adhering gasket, cap, collet and super-cap in place; saidlocking means consisting of re-.

siliently gripping arms of irregular outline shouldered inside an interior rim of the cap and having gripping and holding engagement on and under a shoulder formed on, and about'the neck of the bottle, l t

4. A closure for a bottle comprising a gasket in the mouth thereof, acap centrally depressed to form a rounded downward projectionadaptedto press the gasket into the mouth of the bottle, said cap having an exterior belt adapted to overlap the rim of the neck of the bottle, said cap also adapted, when centrally seated on the gasket, to impact its outer edges against the interior sides of the neck, a collet in the basin formed in forming the depression, and a super-cap overlying the collet, said super-cap having printed or stamped thereon a trade-mark or trade-name, or other advertising; all these parts in adherence through the medium of an adhesive, introduced through correlated perforations in the cap and collet, and means for grippin and holding the adhering gasket, cap, co et and super-cap in place, said gripping and holding engagement consisting of foot and leg extensions from metallic arms shouldered within the cap, the feet having upper portions slitted from the legs and made vertical, as emplaced, relatively to the legs, by bending, and so adapted to form close contact with the base of the shoulder on the neck of the bottle and the surface of the neck below said base.

5. A closure for a bottle comprising a gasket in the mouth thereof, a cap centrally depressed to form a rounded downward projection adapted to press the gasket into the mouth of the bottle, said cap having an exterior belt adapted to overlap the rim of the neck of the bottle, said cap also adapted, when centrally seated on the gasket. to impact its outer edges against the interior sides of the neck, a collet in the basin formed in forming the depression, and a super-cap overlying the collet; all these parts in adher ence through the medium of an adhesive, introduced through correlated perforations in the cap and collet, and means for locking the adhering gasket, cap, collet and super cap in place; said locking means consisting of resilient gripping arms of irregular outline shouldered inside an interior rim of the gagement on and under a shoulder formed 4 terior beltadapted to :overllap the rim of the neck 'ofithe' bottle,tsaid can also adapted,

on I andla'bout the neck ofithe bottle and said feet each' hating-conversely engaging :rec'iproc'ally fittingesh'oul'ders, formed identically, and requiring no preliminary separation of units :thereof into' pairs. 7

:6; A closure for a bottle comprising a gasket in 'the'mouth thereof, arcap centrally depressed to former rounded downward-projection-adapted to press zthe gasket zinto the mouth iof the bottle saidpap having an eX- m mo;

introduced through correlated perforations in zthezcap and :collet, and means for locking the adhering gasket, cap, collet and supercap ,in place; said locking means consisting of resilient gripping arms of irregular outlinezshouldered inside an interior rim of the cap and-having gripping and holding engagement on and under ga' shoulder 'formed onand about the :neck 1 of the bottle, said feet being adapted to said use interchangeably, either with or Without vpreliminary separation-or div'isionjinto pairs.

:In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

' THOMAS C. SPELLING. Witnesses:

, @GARRIE .A. KREY,

@GERTRUDE WEDEMEIER.

, copieszotthis patentfmay .be obtained for h re cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents.

" I Washington, 20.0. 

